Solomon e



csovs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SOLOMON E. IIEINEMAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO TIIE MERZ CAPSULE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

'- SPECIFICATION forming part a Letters Patent No. 447,514, dated March a, 1891.

GELATINE CAPSULE.

Application filed December 11, 1890. Serial No. 374,371. .(No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SOLOMON E. HEINEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of \Vayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gelatine Capsules; and I declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which form a part of this specification.

My improvement relates to gelatine capsules designed for use in special cases, as will be hereinafter explained, and set forth in the claims.

I11 prescribing medicines in capsule form it frequently happens that the physician desires to prescribe at the same time an alkali, such as soda carbonate, for correcting acidity of the stomach; but, owing to the fact that the medicine contained in the capsule is apt to be of an oily character the alkali could not be mixed with it, since the action would be to saponify the mass. the proper alkaline ingredientin cases of this character and in such form as not in any way to act upon the contents of the capsule, and yet be present in the proper quantity when the capsule is taken as a dose by the patient. To this end I add to the mass of gelatine from which the capsule is formed the requisite quantity (more or less) of soda carbonate or any other alkali suitable for correcting acidity of the stomach. The soda carbonate is thoroughly mixed and incorpo- I purpose to provide.

rated with the gela-tine, so that when the capsule is formed the gelatine constituting the capsule will hold in mixture therewith the requisite quantity of alkali which should c accompany the dose of medicine inclosed within the capsule. The bod yof the capsule itself therefore becomes the vehicle for holding the dose of alkali suitable to accompany the medicine contained inside the capsule, 45

and is incorporated in such form as not to act upon the contents of the capsule until the gelatine shall have been dissolved away within the-stomach of the patient. This is of course applicable to all kinds of capsules re- 5' gardless of their contents, where it maybe desirable to provide with the contents, and without mixing the same therewith, a certain dose of alkali.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. As an improved article of manufacture, a soluble capsule thebody of which is formed of intermixed gelatine and an alkali, and wherein the alkali remains inactive until taken into the stomach, substantially as det' 

